Of Elves and Shades
by Shadowcat24601
Summary: In the time before the One Ring was ever created, Legolas's past begins to unfold, telling of how his life was changed forever. It is a story of magic, adverture, romance, and of course, of Elves and Shades.


Of Elves and Shades  
  
Disclaimer: Welcome to the story, Of Elves and Shades. I'd like all of my readers to be aware of the fact that I do not own any part of The Lord of the Rings or Eragon (to which there are many ties, if you haven't read it yet, do! It's absolutely spectacular.) In any case, the only thing that I own is the character Aiedail Ethoni'l, who's name is another discreet reference to Eragon, the word "Aiedail", means morning star. I would like you to also know that this entire story is true, the rest I made up. ;)  
  
Regards, Shadowcat24601  
  
This story is set before the trilogy itself began, in a time of peace, before the One Ring was ever created. It is a history translated from it's original elven language, that tells of Legolas' past, and how his life was changed forever.  
  
Legolas rested peacefully on his bed, trying to cling to sleep even as the sunlight streamed through the window. He welcomed the sun and respected it's wishes to begin the new day, but at the same time he resisted it's attempts to wake him from his dream...  
  
*He was running through the forest, his cherished bow slung across his back, it's familiar weight swinging rhythmically from side to side with every step. He knew Mirkwood forest well, he had spent hundreds of years growing up here, and knew the ancient forest's every secret. Vaulting a fallen tree overgrown with moss and small fern-plants, he arrived in a clearing that had never been there before. Suspicious, Legolas slowly removed the bow from his back, and nocked an arrow in the line, drawing it halfway up his arm. Creeping cautiously across to the center of the clearing, he heard a faint clink of metal. Spinning in place towards the sound he drew his bow to it's fullest. A small white light was resting on the ground before him.*  
  
As Legolas strained his sight to see what the light was, the clearing faded from sight and he found himself awake on his bed while the sunlight streamed through his window, judging from the light shining on the floor, he had slept far into the late morning. Rolling out of his bed with a groan, Legolas looked around at his bedchamber. Crossing the smooth floor, he opened a dark wooden chest, the wood was a rich dark red that had been carved by a master, depicting all manners of nature with elaborate swirls and grooves.  
  
Lifting the lid, he took from it his first layer of clothing, a pale silver shirt and leggings, spun from fine silver, making it stronger than most cloth. Pulling them on, he reached into the chest again, this time removing an earth-brown tunic that hung loose across his body, next he pulled on the dark gray pants. After equipping his belt, bow, and soft leather boots, he proceeded out of the room and onto the staircase, after the stairs ended, and Legolas crossed the spacious Greeting Room to the thick double doors leading outside. Pushing them open, Legolas was greeted by a wave of the many scents of Northern Mirkwood Forest.   
  
~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~  
  
Leagues away from the forests of Mirkwood, was another Elven city of Rivendell. Located in an overgrown, secluded valley surrounded by steep cliffs, the city's pathways, bridges and rooms had been made of the cream-colored stone of the towering cliffs. In one such room was an elven maiden, standing on a balcony. She gazed across the valley, over it's many rivers and waterfalls to where the golden sunlight poured over the tops of the cliffs and onto the opposite wall, making the warm rock come to life with a magic different than the kind she possessed.  
  
The elf was an apprentice mage, an elf that had developed her inner magic over the years, making it stronger and more flexible, so that she could bend it to her will. Every young aspiring mage would discipline themselves in the art of magic, until they thought that they had mastered the art in every aspect. Then they would wait for the Day of Ascension, which came about every fifty years, on this day, apprentice Magi would travel to Mirkwood Forest, where they would be tested by the Seer Sage. The Seer Sage would then decide if they would ascend to the status of Mage and join the Order of *The Circle of Eternal Light,* or if they would be sent back to their city to train for another fifty years. Today was that Day.  
  
~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~  
  
Legolas looked around furtively as he closed the heavy double doors behind him. Relieved by what he saw (or didn't see) he continued on his way toward the outskirts of town. He entered a lavishly decorated courtyard, with a statue of the Goddess of Nature placed in it's center. Looking over his shoulder to be sure that he hadn't been followed, Legolas passed the statue without a second glance and was about to leap over the stone courtyard wall to freedom when a voice called out to him,  
  
"Legolas, you will not escape me a second time." The voice was deep and powerful, commanding in a tone that one couldn't defy. Legolas slowly turned around, his heart sinking. In the leeway of the statue stood his father, his dark gray clothing and cloak had blended in well enough to the stone behind him that Legolas had not seen him standing there. Stepping out of the shadows and into the morning light, the sun caught Thranduil's blond hair and made it shine like fire. Legolas sighed, resigning himself to what would come. Taking this as a sign, Thranduil began to speak,  
  
"Legolas, why haven't you chosen a bride?"  
  
"Why should I?" Legolas inquired. For the past year his father had become obsessed with Legolas' marital status, pressing the matter often, much to Legolas' annoyance.  
  
"My son, we have already been through this. I am the King of Northern Mirkwood, and as my son, you are next to take the throne. You are also of the age to wed. I want to see you happily settled down, not carousing through the woods like an elf half your age!"  
  
"You're right father, we have been over this many times..." Legolas admitted, feigning defeat. His father nodded, but his eyes remained suspicious.  
  
"But my answer is still the same. I have no interest in marriage." And with a swift leap, Legolas vaulted over the wall, landing in a crouching position on the soft earth outside the city. He could hear his father demanding his return, but Legolas ignored him. Walking through Mirkwood, he thought about what his father had said. It was true, Legolas was the proper age to marry, but that could last for another thousand years, so what was the hurry all of a sudden? There was plenty of time left. Besides, he didn't care for women. He didn't want a relationship, it would tie him down. Legolas shuddered, that was the *last* thing he wanted. After diving deep enough into the forest, he sat down and rested up against a fallen tree. Trying to forget about Thranduil, he closed his eyes and let the forest claim him.  
  
*He ran through the forest, simply for the thrill of it. Suddenly, he stopped, there before him was the fallen tree that he had vaulted over before, where he saw that strange light... Walking over to it, he leapt over it with ease. On the other side was that strange clearing that had never been there before. This section of the forest should be filled with trees, Legolas thought to himself. He bent down low to inspect the grass, it was very young, a low carpet of green shoots, there were also small ferns, and what seemed to be the beginnings of saplings. Walking forward to the middle of the clearing, he noticed another strange thing, there was an irregular patch of bare earth, dead center. Legolas turned, remembering the light from when he had seen this dream earlier. Sure enough a silver object that glinted in the sunlight dropped from the sky, landing on the ground with a faint metallic clink. The sun reflected off of the object, into Legolas' eyes, making it impossible for him to see what it was that was blinding him.*  
  
Legolas awoke with a sudden start, then released a string of curses. What was that thing and why was he dreaming of it? Legolas froze, looking at his surroundings as if for the first time. *It can't be...* he thought, standing up. He took a few paces forward, then slowly turned around, he stopped and stared in disbelief at what was before him.  
  
~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~  
  
Aiedail Ethoni'l was the pride of Rivendell. She was the youngest elf to attend the Day of Ascension since the War between the Shades and Elven people. Shades were wicked creatures, to most people, they looked just like elven folk, but anyone wiser than the average man would realize that no clan of elvenkind had hair as red as blood, and eyes like fire. Shade magic was wielded using the energy around them, as opposed to the magic of the elves, that came from the heart.  
  
All young elves aspiring in the ways of magic use had been taught of the war long ago, for it was the very reason that the *Circle of Eternal Light* existed, they were taught that all Shades were evil, it was their very nature, there was no such creature as a kind Shade. No one knew how Shade-folk came to be, save for the most ancient and wise of Seers, but several thousand years ago, before Aiedail was born, Shades seemed to rise up in great numbers from the shadows. No weapon or power of elf or man could penetrate their magic. Then, in the darkest of hours, a lone Mage clothed in flowing white robes began to fight the onslaught with her power. Other elves skilled in the ways of magic adorned the sacred white robes of the Magi and joined her, thus the *Circle of Eternal Light* was formed. After the battle that had lasted a century, the Shades were destroyed and had never been heard of since. Even still, the *Circle of Eternal Light* still existed, just in case. The scholars said that the secret to the victory of the Magi had been that their minds were connected as one, and in such, their powers could be combined into one massive force.  
  
A door clicked shut behind Aiedail, arousing her from her thoughts. turning to see who had intruded on her, she smiled when seeing the face of her father. Long, raven-black hair flowed gently across his shoulders, as he crossed the room to her.  
  
"Aiedail..." he said softly as he embraced her from behind in a tight squeezed. Aiedail held his hand tightly, elven women were often very fond of their fathers, and Aiedail was no exception. Feeling something cold in his grasp, Aiedail curiously pulled out a silver necklace from her father's offering hand.  
  
"Father! It's so beautiful..." Aiedail gasped as she examined the necklace, hanging from the center was a large moonstone that glittered in the morning sunlight.  
  
"May it bring you good fortune whenever you may need it. Have a save journey, my precious daughter."  
  
A hot tear ran down Aiedail's cheek as her father spoke these words. It would be a long time before she would be able to return to Rivendell again. But when she did, she would make sure to return with glory beyond compare. And so, with no other reason to tarry longer, her father led her to her horse that waited for her outside.  
  
~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~  
  
Legolas stared at the log he had been resting upon, it had been the same one that he had leapt over in his dreams, so perhaps maybe... he jumped to the top of the log with an elven leap, then using a branch to steady himself, though it was hardly needed, he dropped down to the other side. Half hoping, he lifted his gaze to what could be before him.  
  
The clearing was there, as plain as it had been in his dream. Only this time it was real. The same small grass rested on the forest floor, everything just as it had been in his vision (for surely, that had to be what it was). After glancing at the irregular patch of dirt in the center, Legolas looked up towards the heavens, trying to determine where the light had fallen. Squinting up though the blinding sunlight, he *thought* that he saw a misshapen, bizarre dark figure silhouetted before the sun. Only a second later, the glistening light dropped to the ground only three paces to his right. Looking at it, Legolas' heart pounded in his chest. He wouldn't be waking up this time, he would finally discover what this mysterious object was.  
  
Kneeling down to the glowing object, Legolas picked it up, it chinked softly in his palm as the links of it's chain nudged against one another. The light was coming from a pure white stone that hung on the silver chain. As Legolas held it, the light intensified beyond anything he had ever seen before, and flashes of images flew before his eyes from the depths of the stone.  
  
*An elf with midnight-black tresses slowed her white stallion in a thicket surrounded by trees. She looked from left to right, searching for something in the shadows beneath the trees. Drawing a bowstring tight, she froze, listening. Without warning, an explosion burst from the bushes to her right. Thrown from the saddle by the blast, her bow flew from her grasp and into the darkness of the surrounding forest that Legolas recognized as a part of Mirkwood. Jumping to her feet, the elf looked around her in a panic. Shrieking when she saw her dead horse, the elf looked up, terrified and shaking as she watched a cloaked figure step from out of the darkness. From beneath the hood of the black cape, a voice sounded. Legolas shuddered, the voice was cold as ice.  
  
"Aiedail Ethoni'l, I have come for YOU!"* 


End file.
